The correct definition of moral development has been debated for centuries, considering that it’s a concept that cuts through different spheres. It’s been a bone of contention between philosophers, religious leaders, psychologists, educationists and even parents regarding what is regarded as moral and how it develops in humans.
Moral development, in essence, is how we can distinguish right from wrong as we grow and evolve. As it is, young children generally have a lower chance of having established morals than adults. They’re not able to tell right from wrong, or good or bad right away. However, as they grow, through education, experiences, personal conviction and religious perspective, they gradually begin to determine what morality means to them and how it affects their daily lives.
However, morality means different things to different people. While psychology and education may be the most prominent fields where this topic is discussed, there are several perspectives from which we can examine moral development.
Now, how can we define the moral development theory from a criminology perspective? When you discuss this topic with a criminologist, what will comprise moral development? Read on to understand the moral development theory and what it encompasses from a criminology point of view.
What is the moral development theory?
As mentioned earlier, moral development theory is one of the most discussed subject matters in the education and psychology fields.
Lawrence Kohlberg developed one of the best-known theories surrounding this subject. He explored most of the basic questions relating to moral development, but it goes without saying that his works were based on the existing model of Jean Piaget. He only went on to expand and explain in detail the children’s development of moral reasoning. On Piaget’s path, he developed a two-stage process which Kohlberg went on to develop into a six-stage and three-level theory.
Other theorists, such as Elliot Turiel, developed other theories in this regard, particularly finding a distinction between convention and morality. However, Kohlberg’s theory has largely been adopted as the main moral development theory across the fields of psychology, criminology, sociology, cognitive psychology and adolescent psychology.
Kohlberg’s theory proposes that moral development is a recurring process that happens throughout a person’s lifespan. Kohlberg’s theory runs through six moral development stages, which occur across three different levels.
Level one – Pre-conventional morality
This is the first level in Kohlberg’s theory and is referred to as the pre-conventional level of moral development. It includes two stages that are based on punishments and rewards. It postulates that people who are functioning at this level of development make their decisions right and wrong to either avoid punishments or earn rewards.
It is the earliest period of moral development, typically lasting until the age of nine. At this stage, children’s decision-making is expected to be primarily shaped by what adults expect of them and the penalties for breaking the established rules. The two stages within this level are:
- Stage one (obedience and punishment)
This earliest stage is generally about the rules and how obedience and punishment play out in young children. However, it also extends to adults in certain settings where they can express this type of reasoning. Kohlberg says that the people operating at this stage see rules as fixed and outright and don’t want to disobey them only because they don’t want the punishment to come their way.
- Stage two (self-reward)
This stage goes a step further with individuals obeying rules of morality based on how their personal needs can be served. At this stage, moral decisions are made based on the chances of receiving a personally meaningful reward. You can also bring reciprocity into this, but it only works if it serves personal interests.
Level two – Conventional moral development
The next level of moral development focuses on rules and laws set by parents and societies and how they are accepted as moral and good. Simply put, what young adults and adults do at this stage is base their decisions on the moral standards that have been internalized from what they’ve learned from parents, guardians and society as a whole. Whatever their parents or the law say is right is what is right, and this stage is characterized by accepting and conforming to authority. The two stages at this level of morality include:
- Stage three (social conformity)
This stage builds in an orientation that incorporates interpersonal relationships into moral development. At this stage, young adults will try as much as they can to live up to social expectations and conform to their roles. This is the point where people want to be “nice” and seen as “good”.
- Stage four (maintaining social order)
This stage is all about how law and order can be maintained within society. At this point, people begin to think outside of themselves in relation to moral development. They begin to focus on what society as a whole thinks and how they’ll judge them. Everyone at this stage truly cares about maintaining the existing law and keeping order by following rules and respecting existing authority.
Level three – Post-conventional morality
At this final level of moral development, people become more complex and tend to develop an understanding of the theoretical principles of morality. This level is divided into two stages:
- Stage five (social contract and cultural norms)
This is the point where people begin to develop new ideas from a place of individual rights and social contract. People begin to develop conflicting beliefs, values and opinions, all relating to other people. While they may agree that the rules of law are important for maintaining a society, they’ll also need to agree upon the standards that work.
- Stage six (universal principles)
The final stage of Kohlberg’s moral reasoning theory revolves around universal abstract reasoning and ethical principles. It postulates that at this stage, people will typically follow principles of justice that have been internalized, regardless of whether they conflict with existing rules and laws.
Kohlberg’s moral development theory is vital because it helps people in different settings to navigate the development of moral character in other people. It helps us to channel the right expectations from others and understand why people behave in a certain way at specific points in their lives. The moral development theory can also be applied at the classroom level to provide extra moral guidance for students. Understanding the levels and stages can also help set rules that govern people of a specific age group or moral development level.
Moral development theory plays a vital role in the rise of the moral psychology field. As much as possible, more research will continue to go into how moral reasoning develops and evolves through a person’s lifetime, through the different stages. However, a good understanding of these stages provides useful insights into how well adults can make moral choices based on their moral thinking levels and environment.
What is moral development theory in criminology?
If you enroll in one of the online criminology programs at an accredited university such as Wilfrid Laurier University, you will learn about why people commit crimes, the key criminology theories and how you can put them into practice when you enter the criminal justice field. Having a good grasp of these theories is also an important aspect of reducing crime rates and maintaining a safer community.
At this point, it’s important to point out that the moral development theory under criminology doesn’t mean the same thing as the general moral development theory discussed above. Regarding moral development theory under criminology, it is believed that the latent trait theories are majorly responsible for criminal behavior and are primarily controlled by a master trait.
The master trait in question is said to exist around the time of an individual’s birth, and they continue to remain stable and constant all throughout the life of individuals. Alternatively, the life course theory suggests that criminality is a dynamic process that’s typically primarily influenced by individual characteristics, and secondarily by social experiences. Several areas of developmental theories can relate to individuals in different ways, including:
- Moral development theory: Evolves around individuals who are interested in ethics.
- Life course theories: Evolve around researchers and individuals that have an interest in the reason and moment when offenders will stop offending.
- Latent trait theories: Provide for individuals who are interested in the foundations of psychology and how they relate to crime.
Truly, criminology studies has numerous applications. However, the reality is that moral development theories have been termed as a wide-ranging theory form that can be applied within the field of criminology.
The established level of moral reasoning is inherent in young adults and adults. This is because the individuals who follow the conventional way of reasoning will typically criticize the morality of actions once they compare the said actions to how societies view it and what they expect. Under criminology and criminal justice, a notion exists that says that laws remain valid only when they emanate from justice.
However, what qualifies as justice to you may be different in another society. Justice is subjective and depends on the specific society. That’s why Kohlberg’s theory argues that anyone seeking justice may ultimately demand that unjust laws be disobeyed. According to his theory, as discussed earlier, individuals typically progress through the six stages in a sequential fashion.
Consequently, there’s a suggestion that criminals are considerably lower in developing their moral judgment. In this area, cognitive theorists contend that people who commit crimes do not develop moral judgment past the pre-conventional level and first two stages.
How psychology and sociology come into play with criminology
Sociological and psychological principles are typically closely related but aren’t fully dependent on each other. There are several sociological constructions that can help you comprehend the causes of criminal behavior and methods to control it.
Here are some ways through which sociology and psychology can help in understanding how criminal behavior works:
- The relation between individual criminal behavior and the existing social structures and cultural values.
- How the contradictions between different interacting groups can affect criminality.
- How contradictions, structures and cultures develop.
- The evolution that these groups continually go through.
- Viewing criminality from a society’s point of view.
A good understanding of traditional sociology theories will explain that crimes and wrongdoings happen due to normlessness. When people don’t have the same opportunities as others, they’ll be unable to meet their personal aspirations. When this happens, it can increase the chances of criminality in such a person because the individuals that aren’t able to socialize have a lesser chance of accessing opportunities and, in turn, become more disposed to criminal behavior.
Again, from a social point of view, criminality can be controlled when equal opportunities are created within societies, or new opportunities are extended to areas where they don’t already exist. Sociological policies have always been on the side of stronger penalties, even though the likelihood of crime disappearing from societies doesn’t increase just because we introduce harsher interventions.
Just like you’ve seen through moral development theory, the theories are an interesting aspect of criminology, as they expose you to foundational knowledge and several possibilities within the criminal justice degree program. Several factors define criminal psychology and the link between criminal behavior and its many related concepts. As much as we’re trying to prevent crime, we should remember to aim to develop a strong basis to understand crime patterns.
